The sale of certain products can be restricted based on age. For example, the sale or distribution (hereinafter, referred to collectively as distribution) of tobacco and alcohol are restricted to people aged at least 18 and 21, respectively, in most U.S. jurisdictions. Accordingly, in order to avoid violation of the law, it is necessary for a seller or distributor (hereinafter, referred to collectively as a distributor) of age-restricted products to verify the age of a person trying to obtain the product. Age verification entails requesting an identification of the person (e.g., a government-issued identification (ID) card), visually determining the authenticity of ID card, and determining if the age of the person is greater than the age restriction.
However, authenticating an ID card can be complicated because it requires familiarity with various forms of ID cards from multiple jurisdictions and forged ID cards are becoming more and more realistic with the increasing popularity of image manipulation software and high quality color printers.
Further, the age of a person is usually not listed on an ID card, therefore requiring the distributor to determine a person's age based on a birth date listed on the ID card. This can be time consuming and requires knowledge of age restrictions for different products, e.g., 18 for tobacco and 21 for alcohol in some jurisdictions. Further, it may be hard to read the birth date on the ID card in low light environments, especially if printed in small type.
Accordingly, a new system and method are needed that enable easy ID authentication and age verification.